Indonesia Warns Online Scams Constitute Human Security Crisis, Calls for Global Cooperation
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Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia has declared that online scams represent a significant human security crisis and a regional threat, necessitating coordinated global action. This warning was delivered by Deputy Foreign Minister arrmanatha C. Nasir at a high-level session of the International Conference on Global Partnership against Online Scams held in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Nasir emphasized that online scams have evolved from isolated criminal incidents into large-scale, organized criminal activity.”No country in the world can confront this threat alone. Our response must be collective, coordinated, and global in scope,” he stated, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
Three priority Areas for Global Action
Indonesia is advocating for three key areas of focus in the global effort to combat online scam networks:
- Enhanced Cross-Border Law Enforcement Cooperation: This includes real-time intelligence sharing and joint operations aimed at dismantling organized criminal groups.
- Strengthened Financial and Cyber Cooperation: Collaboration between financial intelligence units and digital regulators is crucial to disrupt the illicit financial flows that fuel online scams.
- Victim-Centered Response: Prioritizing the protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration of victims is paramount.
Nasir highlighted the potential to leverage existing international mechanisms, such as the Bali Process, ASEAN, and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, to facilitate these global responses. He asserted, “Indifference creates space for criminals, but cooperation creates security.”
Scale of the Problem in Indonesia
Between 2021 and 2025, over 12,000 Indonesian citizens have been reported as victims of online scams. A significant number of these victims have also been subjected to human trafficking and forced labour within scam operations located throughout Southeast Asia. Recent efforts have focused on rescuing and repatriating these citizens. Indonesia recently repatriated 54 citizens rescued from a scam hub in Myanmar, and has confirmed the safety of 110 citizens in Cambodia involved in online scam cases.
The Global Partnership Against Online scams
The Bangkok conference, organized by the Thai government and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), aimed to establish a Global Partnership Against Online Scams to foster international collaboration and address this growing threat.
the increasing sophistication and scale of online scams demand a unified and proactive global response to protect citizens and disrupt criminal networks. Continued cooperation and a victim-centered approach will be essential in mitigating the devastating impact of these crimes.
Date: 2025-12-18 13:41:00
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